Kiev is a great city to walk in with its wide tree lined roads but it is a big city so the public transport is very useful. We found the buses quite difficult because we couldn’t decide exactly where we were but the Metro was easy.

The Metro

There are 52 stations with a red, blue and green line. Tickets are very cheap, you buy a plastic token for each journey from a kiosk in the station so you need two for a return.

The attendant will not understand you but will give you the correct number if you gesture politely. You post your token in the gate as you enter the station and then you can travel to any destination and change lines as much as you need to. Most of the stations are very deep, Arsenalna is the deepest station in the world so  it takes you five minutes to get to the platform. Once you get down there the trains are very frequent.

The Funicular

The funicular goes from Podil on the river side up the very steep Volodymyrska Hill to the upper town. Its a bargain ride- no tourist prices just a commuter fare and a fabulous view.

We used the Sky Bus from the airport to the railway station but we ended walking  a very long way to our hotel, up a hill of course. If I have a suitcase there’s always a hill involved!

So leaving Kiev we decided to take a taxi. Contrary to everything we had been told it wasn’t very expensive. Maybe we were lucky but it was a comfortable easy journey.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Have a look at what to eat in The Ukraine